Chapter 2: Ain't No Foolin' Around
February 6, 1959
Honey leaned back against the seat of the limousine. Charles had been the perfect young gentleman all night long. He had kept the conversation interesting, if somewhat political in nature, but she thought he was quite charming. Only ... he wasn't Dan. She sighed. Still seven more days before he's here.
"Everything okay, Honey?" asked the brown-haired boy sitting next to her.
"Everything's been very nice, Charles. Thank you for a lovely time." She was polite, and even sincere. But she was glad the evening was over and they were heading back to her house.
"Thank you." He smiled at her. "I really enjoyed our dinner."
The driver turned the car up the long driveway and parked in front of the path to her door. She waited for him to open his door and then waited again for Charles to walk around to her side so he could walk her to her door. She didn't especially want him to walk her to the door, but she couldn't bring herself to be so rude as to just dash out of his car, run up to her door, and shout, 'good night'.
He offered his arm to her and they walked to the front of the house together. "I hope you'll go out with me again some time."
She hesitated, not really wanting to reply. As they reached the house, she noticed a long-stemmed rose resting on the door step. She wondered briefly how it came to be there as Charles scooped it up and held it out to her. "Thank you, again."
She took the flower, a French rose pink, one of her favorite shades of the color. "It's lovely. But you shouldn't have." She wished she could just give it back to him, but, again, that would be rude. And if she was rude to him, it would get back to Mother, probably. "Well, good night." She turned the handle and walked inside even as he was leaning over to kiss her. She could force herself to be polite, but that didn't mean she had to subject herself to a kiss.
Charles straightened back up. "Good night." When she said nothing else, he turned around and walked slowly back to the limo.
She closed the door, leaned against it, and sighed again. She glanced at the rose, and then eyed the little trash can next to the credenza by the door. She had half-a-mind to toss the rose in the garbage when she spotted another flower further in the hall, a beautiful pale pink tulip. How did he leave a flower inside the house?
Leaving one on the doorstep to give her at the end of the date had been sweet, romantic even, but she was quite sure she had not let him inside the house when he had arrived. She walked over to the second flower and picked it up. Once she reached it, she spotted a third one across the room, a slightly darker pink tulip. "What's going on?" She spoke her thought aloud, even though no one was in the room to hear her.
The third flower led to a fourth and that led to a fifth one at the door to the veranda. She opened the French doors and stepped out. Sure enough, a sixth flower was at the top of the stairs that lead from the veranda down to the garden. She was glad she hadn't bothered to remove her coat as she jogged down the steps, mindful of the patches of snow on the ground. The next flower, another beautiful pink rose, was on one of the paths that led into the garden. I really hope Charles isn't behind all this, but who else could it be? Maybe these flowers aren't even meant for me.
She approached the gazebo in the middle of the garden cautiously. Gazebo was probably the wrong word for the large, paved structure housing a fireplace on one end and a few fancy benches for guests to sit and enjoy the gardens. Numerous columns encircled the paved area to support the roof. Tonight, the fire was lit, and she could see that someone was there but couldn't quite make out who it was. As she neared the gazebo, she could barely believe her eyes. "Dan?"
He grinned back at her and she ran the last few steps to meet him. "You did all this? The flowers?"
Dan nodded. "Well, it was Celia's idea to make them a kind of treasure hunt that led to me. It's not too much, is it?" He held his arms out to her and engulfed her into a tight embrace.
"No, no, it's perfect. Dare I say, 'perfectly perfect'." She pulled back and looked up at his face. "Even the rose on the front door step?"
"Yes, of course." He gazed back at her.
"Hm." She frowned slightly. I can't believe Charles let me think he had left the rose there. Although, he never actually said he did.
Dan put his hand under her chin and any last thoughts of Charles left her mind as his lips met hers.
She put her arms around his neck, one hand still clutching the flowers she had picked up along the way, and deepened the kiss. When they eventually came up for air, they stood there, arms still wrapped around each other. She gazed into his deep brown eyes and sighed happily. "I can't believe you're here. I thought you were coming next weekend."
"I am. I mean, I'm still going to be here next weekend." He rubbed a thumb along her cheek gently. "I have to drive home tomorrow."
"Oh." The corners of her lips turned down in disappointment. "I was hoping we could spend some time together tomorrow."
"Me, too, and we can. If you're free, that is. I could stick around until the afternoon. I wish I could stay longer, but I promised Pops I'd be home by sundown tomorrow. And I still have to work at the store on Sunday." Dan sat on one of the benches, pulling gently on her arm to encourage her to sit down next to him.
She leaned against him and then sniffed at the bouquet of roses and tulips in her hand. She still couldn't believe he was here, and that he'd been responsible for the rose. "The flowers are really pretty. Thank you."
"You're welcome." He shrugged a shoulder nervously. "All the green stuff and some other flowers that came with them are in a vase in the kitchen. We can go inside and put these in there if you want."
"In a minute. Let's sit and enjoy the fire for now." She turned her face up toward him, wondering something. "Were you planning on driving up here all along or did you only decide to after we talked on the phone?"
He gave her a sheepish grin. "It was kind of a last-minute decision."
"Mm-hmm." She smiled playfully. "And did my date with Charles have anything to do with this last-minute decision?"
He put a finger to his mouth as if thinking. "Maaay-be. It depends. Will you be mad at me if I admit I was jealous?"
She let out a small snort of laughter. "That's hardly news. I knew you were jealous on the phone. That's why I almost didn't tell you about it. But, well, I wouldn't have wanted you to find out from someone else, either. Besides, I don't want to hide things from you."
He tilted his head down and kissed her, just briefly. "Thank you." He caressed her cheek again, making her feel all tingly. "I ... I really like that about you, that you would tell me yourself, that you wanted to be the one to tell me and not let me find out some other way and get even more jealous."
"Well, it's not like I want to go out on dates with other boys." She put the flowers down on the bench and then reached for his hand. "Mother still thinks I'm too young to go steady. Daddy still thinks I'm too young to even be alone with a boy, much less on a date. Thank goodness Miss Trask and Mother have talked to him and he's come around some."
Dan smiled at her comments. "I'm glad he lets me take you on dates, now. Officially and all. I just wish I could take you out more often." He rubbed her shoulder and stared into the fire as he spoke. "Do you know that in two days it will be the two year anniversary of the day I met you?"
"Two years," she repeated softly. "I'm so glad you came to Sleepyside to look for your uncle." She couldn't believe he'd remembered the actual date. She wondered if he'd do anything special for the anniversary of the day he first kissed her.
He stared into her eyes and then sighed. "You don't think your parents will change their minds about letting you go steady when you turn sixteen, do you? I mean, they won't make you wait longer?"
She shrugged one shoulder. "I hope they're okay with it by then."
"I really want to ask you to be my girlfriend, but I know you'd have to do it behind your parents' backs, and I don't want that." He frowned. "Let's hope they'll be okay with it after your birthday."
"I don't either. Want to go behind their backs, that is. Mother just thinks I'm too young to have such ... well, such serious feelings for someone else at this age. She wants to make sure I haven't just fallen for the first boy that's paid attention to me, that I 'explore my options' and 'broaden my horizons'." She stuck out her tongue. "Maybe if I do enough of that between now and the end of May, she'll say it's okay."
"Don't you want to explore your options and broaden your horizons?" He asked the question but at the same time he shook his head and then mouthed the word no, his eyes twinkling teasingly.
"Silly. Are you afraid I'll meet someone I like better than you?" As soon as she had asked the question, she regretted it.
"Yes, I am." The fire crackled and she could see the reflection of the light dancing across his face. His expression had turned serious, but in a soft way. "I'm terrified that you'll fall for some other guy and I'll be left heartbroken. I'm not kidding."
"Dan ...." Honey wasn't sure how to respond. She didn't want to meet anyone else, either, but she couldn't promise that it wouldn't happen. "I've tried telling my mother that I don't want to date anyone else. Really, I have."
He stared into her eyes, a small frown on his face.
"It just made her more ... I don't know, worried, I guess. She said I had to or she'd forbid me from seeing you at all." She could feel the tears in her eyes. "I couldn't, Dan. I couldn't possibly not see you again."
He squeezed her hand tightly as expressions of fear, anger, and then acquiescence crossed his face. "If it makes your mother feel better about us somehow, if it gives her that reassurance, then go date these other boys. I'll try to contain my jealousy." He kissed her again, softly.
"If driving up here to surprise me and give me flowers is how you show your jealousy, I don't mind." She tried to smile. "I've heard most guys get into fights with the other guy when they're jealous."
He frowned slightly. "Yeah, well, I can't deny the thought of punching Charles' lights out didn't cross my mind. But it didn't seem like that would win you over as well as just reminding you that I lo—like you. A lot."
She leaned against his chest, wanting to hear his heart beat. "I wish you could spend the night."
Dan nudged her back up to a sitting position and searched her eyes.
She suddenly realized what she had implied. "I mean ... I don't mean ...."
He laughed softly. "It's okay. I think I know what you mean. Or, I hope I do."
She giggled as she rested against him once more. "Then what do I mean?"
"You wish I could stay here all night with you. That we could sit together and talk and laugh and just hang out."
He played with the fingers of her hand and she wished she had taken off her gloves so she could feel his skin. His hands usually felt rough, but she liked that.
"I wish that, too," he whispered.
She sighed in contentment. "Mmm. You know me so well." She gazed at the fire and noticed the log was already dying down and wondered how long Dan had been here waiting for her.
"Only, if we're going to have a sleepover, instead of doing each other's hair and makeup, could we just make out?"
She sat up again and glared at him in mock protest, noticing the mischievous gleam in his eyes. "Dan! You are so bad!"
"I have a reputation to maintain." He waggled his brows.
"Well, sometimes I wish I didn't." She sighed and then pulled her coat more snugly around her.
"Are you getting cold? Do you want to go inside?" Dan looked like he'd rather stay outside, but then he was probably more used to the cold weather.
She wasn't cold, really, but she wanted to get out of her coat. "Actually, yes. We could stay in the rec room and listen to music or something. Watch T.V. maybe?"
"Sure, but ...." He hesitated briefly. "Are your parents home? Will they mind, especially since you were supposed to spend tonight broadening your horizons and exploring options?" He winked as he said the last part.
"They're at an art gallery in the city, actually, and are probably going to stay overnight in the apartment." She smiled impishly. "Miss Trask is around, even though she's probably retired to her room already, if you think we need a chaperone."
"If you're sure you won't get in trouble for it, then." He scooted away from her so he could stand up and then held a hand out to her, bowing slightly. "Miss Wheeler."
"Master Mangan." She stood and then curtsied.
He held his arm out to her and she hooked her hand into the crook of his elbow. With her other hand she reached for the flowers and held them to her nose. The tulips may not have had much scent, but the fragrance of the two roses made up for it. "We need to put these in water. You said there was a vase ready for them?"
Dan watched as Honey arranged the flowers in the vase along with the greenery. He had to admit Celia had been right about one thing: the two missing roses from the bouquet weren't at all noticeable. He wondered how Honey would react to the third rose in her room. He turned to her now as she held the vase, contemplating where to put them.
"Should I put these by my bed or leave them down here?" She didn't look like she was expecting a reply and soon answered herself. "My room. Then I'll see them every morning."
She walked out of the kitchen and he followed her. She started up the stairs, but he didn't really want her to discover the other rose yet. "Why not leave them in the rec room for now and bring them up later?"
She shrugged a shoulder, still wearing her coat. "Okay."
She led the way to the large recreation room. There was a long wooden cabinet that held an assortment of games and other activities, as well as a box of records. Honey put the vase down in the middle of it and stood back to admire it.
"You should take your coat off. Let me." He helped her out of her black coat and was surprised that it was lined with the same fabric as her dress. And what a dress! "Wow, Honey. You look amazing. I mean ... you always look beautiful but that dress is just ... wow."
She blushed profusely as he stepped over to the coat rack so he could hang up the garment. "It's a Dior. I know it's a bit fancy for dinner, but it fit right in at the Wilmot House Estate."
Dan hung his own jacket next to hers. He turned back around and his breath caught again, even though he'd just seen her. He thought he'd been jealous before, but now that he could picture this faceless chump, Charles, sitting across from a stunningly elegant Honey, he knew what he'd felt earlier was nothing. And there was no way he would ever be able to afford to take her out to somewhere fancy enough to warrant wearing that dress.
She slipped her matching black gloves off her hands and set them on top of the cabinet near the bouquet.
"It's just ...." He started to try to explain what he was feeling without coming off like a possessive lout. "I wish I could afford to take you to a fancy restaurant or country club so that I could sit across from you while you wear something like that."
She rubbed her hands down the front of the skirt as she looked down at her clothes. "It's just a dress."
Yes, it was just a dress. But the fabric—he'd felt it in the lining of her coat—was soft like silk without being shiny. Maybe it was silk. Real silk, probably imported from China and everything. And the print—the swirl of dark violet flowers on a nearly black background—it was so grown up. Like a little black cocktail dress without being completely black. The skirt flared out and came down to the top of her knees—the coat had been that long, too—and the top of the dress hugged her body just the right way. The sleeves ended just past her elbows, and there was a strip of fabric that followed the top of the sleeves across her collarbone and formed the neck line which wasn't straight across but not a scoop or a deep v-neck either. He was sure there was some fashion-word to describe it, but all he cared about is that it made her look mature and sophisticated.
She gazed at him in puzzlement. "I wore a fancier dress to the winter dance you took me to."
"Maybe. But that was a party dress and of course it was beautiful and you were beautiful." He sighed, still trying to find the right words. "But there's something about this look," he made a sweeping gesture with his hand to encompass her, her dress, her gloves, and her coat, "that's so polished and refined."
"Oh." She seemed to be thinking that over as she slipped out of the black heels she'd been wearing.
"And I wish I could take you somewhere you could wear this." He moved over to the record player, wanting to put some music on so he could dance with her, hold her, caress her, especially while she was still in that dress.
"If you really want me to, I can wear it on our next date. I don't mind being seen in the same thing twice." She winked. "And even if our date is a movie at the Cameo and burgers at Wimpy's, I'll dress up for it."
Dan frowned as he looked through the box of 45s. He noted with some amusement that the b-side of the Platters single he'd selected was titled "Jealousy". He put that one back and saw another song, choosing it instead. "I promise I'll take you someplace nicer than Wimpy's next weekend, you know? And it's not like you need to dress up. I'd like you just as well if you wore jeans to a fancy restaurant. It's really that ... that Charles saw you in this and ... and I wouldn't have if I hadn't come here." He placed the record on the turntable and then peeked up at her, afraid to meet her eyes. "I'm acting like an idiot, I know."
Honey came toward him and touched his arm. "You're not. Not at all."
She reached for his hand but he turned to set the needle down on the song he'd selected first. Then he turned back to her. "Dance with me?"
"Always." She smiled as she slipped into his arms.
The Everly Brothers crooned softly as he held her. He knew he was wrong, that it didn't matter what she wore, and it didn't matter to her if he couldn't take her to fancy places, but it bothered him all the same.
She spoke softly to him as they danced. "I don't mind where you take me or what you want me to wear, as long as I'm with you." It was as if she'd been reading his mind.
He kissed her, his hands caressing the fabric on the back of her shoulders, almost afraid to touch her skin. But the wide collar made it easy to, and her skin was so soft. "And I know you don't care that I can't afford fancy country club dinners and that you're actually more comfortable someplace casual. I just ... I'm jealous. And I can't compete with boys like Charles when it comes to that stuff."
"But you don't have to." He felt the tickle of her breath near his ear when she whispered her response.
"Don't I? Especially if your mother sets you up on more dates?" He scowled slightly, glad she couldn't see his face.
"No. They need to compete with you, and you have an edge against them they simply don't have the time to overcome."
He couldn't even fathom what she was implying. He tilted his head back so he could see her face. "How so?"
Honey smiled sweetly, her eyes shining with admiration—admiration for him. "You get me. I mean, you understand me ... not like you obtain me or something." She laughed gently. "You know me better than they do, and I know you better than I could ever get to know someone else on one lousy date."
"Lousy, huh? I hope so, as long as they're not actually mean to you or anything." He tilted his head down, resting his forehead against hers, and stared into her eyes. "You get me, too, you know. Both ways."
He stroked her shoulder and started to slip a finger under the fabric of her dress. Realizing what he was about to do, he moved his hand away, but not before noticing her skin had those little goose bumps. "You're cold," he whispered. He needed an excuse to move away from her before he got too carried away. "Should I build another fire?"
"That would be nice." She looked around the room as if she had only just realized the song had ended minutes ago. "Maybe we should watch a movie if there's anything on this late? I could make us some popcorn."
Dan nodded, relieved he'd have a few minutes alone to regain control of himself. He turned the television on first to give it time to warm up and then moved over to the small woodpile stacked next to the nearby fireplace. He found some kindling in a basket and soon had a fire going in the room.
There were also some blankets stacked on a chair. He grabbed one and put it by the couch in case she was still cold. Honey still hadn't returned so he started turning the dials to find a channel with a decent movie. Some stations still went off the air after ten, but a couple of the larger networks would use the late-night time slot to show horror, mystery, or science-fiction films that hadn't fared well in the theaters. He found two to choose from, though neither looked very promising. He was about to go check on Honey when she came in carrying a tray with a bowl of popcorn and some sodas.
She set the tray down on the coffee table. "Sorry that took so long. Miss Trask came down to check on me."
Dan grew concerned. It was late, very late, and he probably shouldn't even be here. "Does she want me to leave?"
"No, she's okay with it. I told her we were just going to watch a movie and then you'd go." She smiled reassuringly.
"You're sure?" Miss Trask had always been in their corner, always giving them just the right amount of leeway, but he still felt worried.
She nodded and then settled down on the sofa, handing him a bottle of 7-Up. "Did you find a movie?"
Dan shrugged. "We have two choices: Attack of the 50 Foot Woman or Hot Rod Gang."
She giggled. "Both sound absolutely fascinating. Do you know what they're about?"
"Hot Rod Gang is about some kid who wants to enter his car in a drag race and joins a rock-and-roll band. Harvey and I saw it last year. It wasn't great." He grinned. "But not so bad that I couldn't stand seeing it again. Not sure about the other one."
"Doesn't really sound like my type of movie, not that Attack of the 50 Foot Woman does, either." She let out a small snort. "But let's give the giant woman a chance."
Since that was the channel to which Dan had already tuned the television set, he sat down next to her on the couch, adjusting some pillows to make them both more comfortable.